About the Session
- 149-01 - Family Policy and Aging: Overview and Introduction
By Karen Hooker
- 149-02 - Changing Family Ties and Time Lines: Implications for Research and Policy
By Ingrid Arnet Connidis
- 149-03 - Changing Communication Technologies and Impacts on Intergenerational Family Relationships
By Judith Treas
- 149-04 - Demographic Change and Interdependence Across Family Generations
By Gunhild O. Hagestad, Richard A. Settersten, Jr.;
Discussant: Elaine Anderson
Chair: Karen Hooker
Abstract(s)
Family Policy and Aging: Overview and Introduction
By Karen Hooker
Changing Family Ties and Time Lines: Implications for Research and Policy
By Ingrid Arnet Connidis
Changing Communication Technologies and Impacts on Intergenerational Family Relationships
By Judith Treas
Demographic Change and Interdependence Across Family Generations
By Gunhild O. Hagestad, Richard A. Settersten, Jr.
Discussant: Elaine Anderson
Chair: Karen Hooker
Social change and longer lives dovetail to create new challenges in negotiating a range of family relationships over the life course, including marriage, cohabitation and living apart together among both same- and opposite-sex partners. Both research and policy often make assumptions about family arrangements that are becoming increasingly dated. For example, intergenerational relationships are being changed by communication technologies that have increased the frequency of contact between parents and grown children; and differences in the timing of fertility across families creates increasing heterogeneity in family support networks. The purpose of this symposium is to increase understanding of how these demographic and technological changes impact the family lifecourse. Authors of these papers critically explore the intersection of living longer lives with changing family ties in mid- and later life, particularly intimate ties, and implications for research and policy. The discussant will integrate themes across the papers and discuss the policy implications for families in aging societies worldwide.
Objectives:
(1) To inform NCFR attendees about how changing family structures influence later life support.
(2) To inform NCFR attendees about how trends in aging influence relationships within families.
(3) To inform NCFR attendees about technological innovations that may open up new avenues for maintaining and enhancing intergenerational relationships.